Cutting die



Aug'5, 1941. J.- M. WALL "ET AL cuwme DIE Filed. A ril 26, 1940 I? INVENTORS. Ww J I 2770!? Y6 Patented Aug. 5, 1 941 CUTTING DIE John M. Wall andJ acob W. Albrecht, Syracuse, N. Y.

Application April 26, 1940, Serial No. 331,834

7 Claims.

This invention relates to cutting or blanking dies intended primarily for cutting blanks from fibrous material such as leather, cloth, paper,

etc. As for example, blank parts for the manufacture of shoes, pocketbooks, boxes, and the like. It is customary to spread the material being out upon the buck or platen of a press and the dies are placed by hand on the material. The dies are then pressed into engagement with the material by the head of the press. After the blanks have been severed from the material, the dies are removed from the press by hand. This method permits any die, or group of dies, to be used on the same press and permits the operator to select the desired portions of the material for the cutting of the respective blanks. Heretofore, dies of this type have been constructed in various manners as for example a cutting blade secured to the peripheral edge of a wood core as by screws, clamps, or other suitable means.

Another method of constructing these dies is to use a comparatively thick heavy cutting blade which is bent to the desired shape and the abutting ends of the blade welded together. Dies have also been constructed by first forming a metal core to the shape of the blank and subsequently welding a cutting blade to the periphery of the core; The wood core die is not satisfactory in that it is not durable and does not hold its shape. The heavy metal cuttingv blade construction materially increases the cost of the die and it is difficult, if notimpossible, to use this construction in forming complicated die shapes having small or sharp projections. The metal core dies is not only expensive, but prevents the operator from inspecting the material while he is placing the die thereon.

This invention has as an object a die of the type referred to embodying a particularly novel construction employing a thin, flexible, cutting blade which may be conveniently bent or shaped to any complicated form. The construction further embodies reinforcement for the formed blade, the completed die being exceptionally rigid and durable with no core to obstruct the inspection of the material being cut, and the die being extremely light in weight.

An important feature of the invention resides in the reinforcement of the cutting blade which isaccompllished by a truss formation which is light in weight but extremely rigid.

The invention consists in the novel features and in the combinations and constructions hereinafter set forth andclaimed.

In describing this invention, reference is had to the accompanying drawing in which like characters designate corresponding parts in all the views.

Figure 1 is a top plan view of a die partly in section embodying our invention.

Figure 2 is a sectional view taken online 22, Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a fragmentary elevational View illustrating the cutting blade and truss member I with the outer reinforcing member removed.

Figure 4 is a sectional View taken on line 44, Figure 3.

Figure 5 is a top plan view, similar to Figure 1, illustrating a plurality of dies arranged in a cluster.

Figure 6 is a view, similar to Figure 1, illustrat ing a modified form of our invention.

7 Figure 7 is a sectional view taken on line 'l--'!, Figure 6.

Figure 8 is a fragmentary side elevational view of the cutting blade employed inthe construction shown in Figures 6 and 7. I The invention consists generally of a cutting blade member formed of thin, flexible material such as steel bent or shaped to the desired form and the abutting ends welded or otherwise integrally secured together, a reinforcing member bent to a shape substantially complemental to the shape of the cutting blade member and extending in parallel spaced relation thereto. One of said members is provided with a plurality of spaced projections or protuberances arranged in a truss formation and being fixedly secured'to both of said membersto form an integral die unit.

Referring to Figure 1, the cutting blade memher is designated I0 and is formed of thin, flexible material, preferably steel, which has been previously heat treated to provide proper cutting edges II. It is to be understood that the thickness of the blade l0 and of the other partsare exaggerated in the drawing for the purpose of clarity, the drawings indicating only the relative arrangement of the elements of the construction. In the die illustrated in Figure 1, the blade Ill is provided with inwardly extending bights l2 and an outwardly extending bight l3. 'Becau-se of the thinness and flexibility of the blade ID the same may be conveniently bent at sharp angles to produce a die of irregular or'complicated form.

is secured to the blade as by spot welding the stripthereof intermediate the uniformly spaced triangular projections [5. As illustrated in Figures 1 to 5, the sinuous strip is secured to the outer side of the blades II). It will be apparent as the description proceeds that this strip, to-

gether with the outer reinforcing member, may be arranged on the inner side of the blade if desired. However, I have found it more convenient and economical in the manufacture of these dies to arrange the reinforcing truss work on the outer side of the blade.

The outer apexes or peaks it of the triangular projections are encircled by a reinforcing member I! preferably in the form of a flat metal strip, and are fixedly secured thereto as by spot welding. This construction produces a particularly rigid and durable die, it being impossible for any portion of the cutting blade member I to move out of shape because of the fact the converging sides of the projections form a truss resisting movement in both directions. This construction also permits the convenient formation of complicated die shapes. In Figure 1, the blade I0 is properly bent to provide irregular projections such as the bights I2, l3; and thesebight portions are maintained in shape by securing a reinforcing strip across the opening of the bight. For example, the strip I8 is welded to the blade I0 and extends across the bights l2, and the strip l3 bridges the bight I3. The sinuous truss strip and the reinforcing strips 11, I8, 19 are arranged intermediate the side. edges of the blade l0 and are of less width, whereby both of the cutting edges I I may be employed.

In Figures 6 to 8, the triangular truss projections are formed integral in the blade If] by forming the blade with conical portions 20, the apexes of which are welded to the reinforcing strip member If. This construction is particularly economical in the manufacture of dies of more or less uniform shape, the curved portions of which are formed on comparatively large radii.

In both embodiments referred to, the blade [0 is provided with protuberances arranged to effect l a truss formation. However, these protuberances or projections may be initially secured to or formed from the reinforcing strip H. The projections have been referred to as of triangular formation. In both instances, the projections are not of true geometric triangular formation, but in the nature of truncated triangles in order to provide suflicient surface to effect a proper Welding area on both the blade and the reinforcing strip [1. The important feature is that the sides of the projection converge to effect a truss formation whereby, when the projections are fixedly secured at their apexes to the blade and reinforcing member. the cutter blade is firmly secured in shape.

It will-be obvious that dies embodying our invention are extremely light and the entire surface of the material being cut is open for clear inspection by the operator. By arranging the truss work to encircle the cutting blade, we find the reinforcement construction serves as a convenient means for the operator in handling the dies by hand.

Figure 5 illustrates how the construction readthe overlapping portions 22 of the dies do not need reinforcing if such portions are of comparatively short length, as shown in Figure 5.

What We claim is:

1. A cutting die comprising a cutter blade bent to the desired form, a reinforcing member comprising a thin, flexible, strip extending parallel with said blade and in spaced relation thereto, the spacing means being obtained by spaced conical protuberances formed in one of said members, and the peaks of said protuberances being fixedly secured to said other member, said blade being formed with a plurality of spaced triangular projections arranged in truss formation intermediate said blade and strip, and said projections being fixedly secured to said blade and strip.

2. A cutting die comprising a cutter blade member bent to the desired form, a reinforcing member comprising a thin, flexible, strip extending in parallel spaced relation to said cutter blade member, the spacing means being obtained by spaced conical protuberances formed in the body of the blade midway of its cutting edges, and the peaks of said protuberances being fixedly secured. to said flexible strip, one of said members being formed with a plurality of spaced triangular projections arranged in truss formation and said projections being fixedly secured to said members to form a rigid integral unit.

3. A cutting die comprising a cutter blade member shaped to the desired form, a reinforcing member comprising a thin, flexible, strip extending in parallel spaced relation to said cutter blade member, one of said members being provided with spaced protuberances having inclined side walls converging to a peak, and the peaks of said protuberances being fixedly secured. to said other member to form a rigid integral unit.

4. A cutting die comprising a cutter blade member and a reinforcing member, said members being bent to the desired form and extending in spaced relation, a sinusoidal truss member arranged intermediate said cutting blade member and said reinforcing member and being fixedly secured at the apexes .thereof to said members respectively to form an integral unit. l V

5. A cutting die comprising a cutter blad member and a reinforcing member, said members being shaped to the. desired form and extending in spaced relation, one of said members being formed with a plurality of spaced. conical projections, and said other member being fixedly secured to the apexes of said projections to form an integral unit.

6. A cutting die comprising a cutter blade consisting of a thin, flexible metal strip shaped to the desired form, a strip of metal encircling the blade and being formed with spaced projections having converging sides and being welded to the blade intermediate said projections, a reinforcing strip encircling said projections and being welded to the apexes of said projections to form an integral unit.

'7. A cutting die comprising a cutter blade consisting of a thin, flexible, metal strip shaped to the desired form, said blade being formed with integral spaced conical projections, a reinforcing strip encircling said projections and being welded to the apexes thereof to form an integral unit.

J OHNM. WALL. JACOB W. ALBRECHT.' 

